I lived with a girlfiriend......

But, as others have stated, it is a blast (I did stay with friends & the Frat sometimes durring Gator Growl, Home coming & other major concerts & events) and if you are single, you should go for it... Just don't be like me & some of my friends & have too much fun, not good for GPAs...

My freshman dorm suitemate in college was a gay insomniac. He liked to stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning watching Star Trek Voyager. :(
Needless to say, I was happy to move into our fraternity house at the beginning of my sophomore year.

The daughter thinks that, but she has absolutely no basis for her belief. She's never lived in an apartment off campus, or a dorm. She's never been to college before (I know she's 17 or 18 and thinks she knows everything).

This is where it is very important for parents to step up and be parents. They need take the discussion off the table, she's living in the dorms.

Many 17/18 year olds think they want to avoid the dorms because they are more "mature" than the other kids, and view the apt as being more "grown up" (cooking your own meals, grocery shopping, etc. A lot of 17/18 year olds are anxious to begin playing house).

But IMO it's a huge mistake. Living in the dorms helps the transition immensely, for a variety of reasons. It's a built in social network that is invaluable (sure, there's some bad with the good, but overall it is invaluable). Living off campus in an apartment can be very isolating for a freshman. She would miss out on a ton of activities and friendships, which sets the tone for the entire college years.

Big mistake to let her make this decision.

+1

I lived here... 1250 students, almost entirely freshmen. It was was an absolute madhouse. Some of the friendships that I forged in that place still exist today!

http://www.meetatwestern.ca/images/a...on_saugeen.jpg

However, any longer than one year would have been academic suicide!

Didn't do the dorm bit....
We had an apartment, #54, which was immediately dubbed "Studio 54" across the street from Bryant-Denny Stadium at the U of A.
It was Studio 54 in most every respect, so we didn't have far to limp and crawl on Saturday for football!

This is the dorm where most people at my school lived.

I can still see it from my house:

http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles11185.jpg

This is where I lived on the 7th and 15th floors:

http://facilitiesplanning.illinoisst...s/100_0300.JPG

I went to college after 10 years in the army. I was tired of living with people and lived in an apartment.

holy crap!! what is that the grinffindor house? hahahhah.

I did two years at Washington State, one as a freshman which was great. One as an RA as a junior, worst year of my college life. Being the cop sucked, I lived in the football players dorm, 90% were a bunch of idiots with criminal records.

My daughter is at the University of Washington. She had what I'd call a lucky dorm experience. She loved her roommates, hated the dorms. The housing situation there is so tight they are squeezing 3 kids into rooms designed for two or worse. She's in a house this year and much happier so far.

I lived in the dorm for one year. I lived on the first floor in the back by the parking lot. Believe it or not we could not have females in the dorm so our room was like the underground railroad. People would knock on the window or the door to get people in or out. After awhile we started charging people a beer to use the window. ;)

Like I said I would have done the dorm thing but I could not have handled it. They aren't that nice and I am not that good with people. As it is I am in an apartment with a guy that graduated a year ahead of me. We are both really easy going and are having no problems at all with splitting groceries and whatnot... I don't forsee any problems... Its great, almost like I finally have a brother.... I am an only child...

NO, NO, & NO! It would SUCK badly! Never did and Never would! Don't do it and I would recommend against it! I lived with WAY too many people over time and would never do it again or 'make' my kids do it! I suggest you advise against it and find alternatives. For my kids I plan on getting them a condo or buying another house and renting it to their roommates and when they are done I'd selling it for a profit instead of them leasing/renting at a loss...

My dorm had a lounge at the end of the floor. My sophmore year, housing was tight, so they let three sign up for the lounge instead of two in a regular room.

Best dorm room EVER.

A sink and stove right in the room, but best of all, massive floor to ceiling windows and a balcony with a great view of the city.

I lived in the dorm for two years.. great experience...
We did it all , kegs in the hall, pennied in guys in the room..
Once showed "linda lovelace does fido" on the courtyard projected from the fourth floor..
still close to my old floormates

Looks like Salve Regina in Newport, RI...

I did, great two years, brother was room mate, because his room mate did not arrive in his co-ed dorm, and I had drawn a men's dorm in the lottery. We were at the top of the stairs, had a couch that was about 12 feet long, with a coffee table to put your feet or beer on. Looking out the door, you saw the stairs to go down to the first floor(we were 2 of 3) Little kitchenette next to the stairs, with oven 4 burner cook top and very old refrigerator that would hold 3 cases of beer.

We were on the tour of campus, or so it seemed. Our door was generally open, and it did not look much like a dorm room.

There are 4 windows under the front porch that are arched on top, ours were the two on the right. It faced an open area of grass known as the quad, surrounded by buildings. I got food poisoning there, along with about 100 other people. Bad milk, campylobacter contaminated. Lost better than 20 pounds in about a week.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1256871631.jpg

Dorm room...in my dreams. I shared a 3 bdrm apartment and worked 40 hrs/wk while taking 14 units. My problems started when I became a bartender.

Salve Regina College, Newport RI Private Catholic College. When I was there in the early 80's there was 1700 students - only 120 males.

Yikes.... So you got to play out lots of "catholic school girl" fantasies?